THIS presentation by the Improvised Music Company was a nice blend of standards and original's, played by a trio that could rightly be called a working group. It was clear, early on, that the empathy between the musicians was a result of the gigs in France that preceded their visit here.

The tunes included a Zigmund original, Some Kind Of Waltz, with lovely guitar from Ed MacEachen and tasty brushwork from drummer Zigmund, and Thad Jones's Three In One, which opened with brushes and Ronan Guilfoyle's bass guitar, followed by fine bluesy guitar both chordal and single, from MacEachen. Monk's Ask Me Now got a delicate reading, followed by an exciting samba, Breeze, by Zigmund.

Come Rain Or Come Shine opened in a nice 2/4 feel before the transition to 4/4, where Guilfoyle played some excellent walking bass, followed by a highly creative solo, with wonderful support from Zigmund, again on brushes, in a performance which evidenced a formidable trio at work.

MacEachen's solos were always accessible and his chordal playing was particularly impressive.